Undescribed species collected after two 'near death' attempts

In June 2021 the FBIP profiled Brian du Preez, who is currently completing his PhD at the University of Cape Town.

Brian received postgraduate funding from the FBIP programme.

A recent post on Brian’s Facebook page details a breakthrough not only for his PhD journey but also for botanical science…

“Today was a milestone day! After two unsuccessful, near-death attempts to collect this species, I took a chance at a new site and found a population in full flower. This little beauty is Indigofera vlokii, an undescribed species endemic to the Kouga Mountains. It has only ever been collected by three botanists, of which I am one. The mountains are very expansive, rough, and generally inaccessible, and this one only grows on the high peaks. This was the last species that I needed to collect for my PhD, now I can finish writing up with a smile on my face. Also took a few seedlings to start an ex-situ population at the Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden.”